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enStrachan not scared of England after World Cup qualifying drawAfter seeing his team drawn with England, Scotland manager Gordon Strachan has embraced the challenge of qualifying for Russia 2018.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/strachan-not-scared-england-after-world-cup-qualifying-draw
Scotland manager Gordon Strachan says he is "not scared of going anywhere" with his current squad after being grouped with England in World Cup qualifying.
While England were undoubtedly the focus for Scotland's fans following Saturday's draw, Strachan was also intrigued to join Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania and Malta in Group F of UEFA's qualifying for Russia 2018.
The 58-year-old former Scotland international added he is not worried about any of his team's qualifying opponents, as they target their first World Cup finals appearance since 1998.
"Working as a group is important in these games and that's good because that's the only way we win," Strachan told the Scottish FA's website.
"We do not have world-class individuals; we have a great bunch of players. Everything we have to do is as a unit. Some countries have players who can win games on their own; we haven't got that at the moment.
"I'm not scared of going anywhere and playing anybody with this group of lads."
Scotland have not beaten England since 1999, losing their past two friendlies (in 2013 and 2014) 3-2 and 3-1, respectively.
"[The last time we met] England stepped it up a gear and it was a fantastic lesson," Strachan said, according to the Scotsman. "They pressurise you and you make mistakes and that is something that sticks with us – and I hope sticks with us to fire us on.
"The good thing from the supporters' point of view is there are no ridiculous journeys [in qualifying]. That allows us more time on the training pitch."news_articleSun, 26 Jul 2015 07:40:58 +0000Anonymous423739 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comItaly embracing Spain challenge in World Cup qualifyingItaly have embraced the challenge of playing Spain in World Cup qualifying after the draw in St Petersburg on Saturday.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/italy-embracing-spain-challenge-world-cup-qualifying
Italy coach Antonio Conte hopes playing Spain in qualifying for the 2018 World Cup will help his team improve and rise up the FIFA rankings.
Conte's men were placed with Spain, Albania, Israel, Macedonia and Liechtenstein in Group G of UEFA's World Cup qualifying for Russia 2018 on Saturday, and Italy's boss feels his side will rise to the occasion against Vicente del Bosque's team of champions.
Since taking over as Italy coach following Brazil 2014, Conte has led his country to five wins from 10 matches, although they are winless in four games this year.
"It is a tough group, however, I prefer to think that Spain could boost us," Conte said after the draw in St Petersburg.
"We have to face one of the best teams in the world. I am sure that we can do well and we can have good performances."
Having last tasted victory in a friendly against Albania in November last year, Italy started 2015 with three consecutive draws - against Bulgaria, England and Croatia - before losing 1-0 to Portugal in a friendly in June.
Those results leave Italy in 17th in FIFA's rankings.
Spain - world champions in 2010, plus European champions in 2008 and 2012 - will be favourites to progress automatically from Group G, although they have also suffered a downturn in form of late.
The then-holders were dumped from the 2014 World Cup in the group stages, while they have lost two of their past five matches.
"In theory, Italy and Spain are the favourite teams in the group," Conte said.
"However, Albania have started playing really well in the Euro qualifying, so they have chances to qualify.
"On paper, Italy and Spain are the best teams, however, it will be decided on the pitch."
Italy have not defeated Spain since 2011, while the Spaniards have won six of their past nine meetings stretching back to 2000.news_articleSun, 26 Jul 2015 01:51:05 +0000Anonymous423623 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comDutch favourites in Group A - DeschampsNetherlands are the team to beat in Group A qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, according to France coach Didier Deschamps.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/dutch-favourites-group-deschamps
France coach Didier Deschamps said Netherlands are favourites in 2018 World Cup qualifying's Group A.
Deschamps' men and the Dutch are the drawcards in the group, which also sees Sweden, Bulgaria, Belarus and Luxembourg competing after Saturday's draw in St Petersburg.
After learning his team's fate, Deschamps moved to put the favourites tag on Daley Blind's side - despite the Dutch only beginning the Blind era in late June when predecessor Guus Hiddink was sacked after just 10 matches in charge.
"This is a strong group, compact, with good European nations," Deschamps said, according to the French Football Federation's website.
"Favourites are the Netherlands because they were semi-finalists of the last World Cup in Brazil, where they finished third, but there is also Sweden, Belarus, Bulgaria, which are never easy teams to play.
"There are certainly easier groups than ours in the European zone."
France have lost three of their past four internationals - losing successive friendlies to Belgium and Albania in June to see their FIFA ranking plummet 13 spots to 22nd.
Deschamps said he did not think being unseeded cost France a tougher draw.
"It's like that, you cannot go back. Being seeded, it can be an advantage in certain situations or not," he said.
"But for sure it would have been better to win these matches in June.
"We knew we would have at least a tough draw.
"But there were also other good nations in other hats, such as Sweden."news_articleSat, 25 Jul 2015 22:14:13 +0000Anonymous423555 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comLow welcomes World Cup qualifying drawGermany coach Joachim Low declared himself pleased with the outcome of Saturday's draw in St Petersburg.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/low-welcomes-world-cup-qualifying-draw
Germany coach Joachim Low cautiously welcomed the reigning champions' qualifying draw for the 2018 World Cup in Russia on Saturday.
Low's men will face Czech Republic, Northern Ireland, Norway, Azerbaijan and San Marino in Group C.
With both Italy and France included in the second group of seeds, the draw could certainly have been far tougher for the holders.
But while expressing his pleasure with the hand his side was dealt, the 55-year-old was quick to guard against complacency.
"We have an interesting group against good opponents," he said.
"And we are of course pleased with the draw. It's clear that we want to be, as a world champion, group winners and we are the favourites.
"The Czech Republic, Norway and Northern Ireland are very ambitious and have always had very good results in recent years.
"Group A, with France, Sweden and the Netherlands and Group G, with Italy and Spain, are interesting and extremely exciting.
"However, we will now focus on the European Championship qualifiers and after the tournament and only then, comes the World Cup qualifiers for Russia."
National team manager Oliver Bierhoff, one of the assistants during the draw in St Petersburg, was also pleased with the outcome.
"I am delighted that we will not play against Italy and France," he said.
"So that we can be satisfied with. For Spain, for example, it is a very hard draw."news_articleSat, 25 Jul 2015 20:45:52 +0000Anonymous423541 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comHodgson looking forward to Scotland qualifiersRoy Hodgson admits England's World Cup qualifiers with Scotland are likely to "excite" fans on both sides of the border.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/hodgson-looking-forward-scotland-qualifiers
England manager Roy Hodgson is relishing the prospect of facing old rivals Scotland in qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
The draw in St Petersburg on Saturday saw the two nations placed in Group F alongside Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania and Malta.
It is the two clashes with Scotland that Hodgson knows will be the most eagerly anticipated, with the neighbours set to meet in a competitive fixture for the first time since 1999.
"The Scotland fixture really does excite people. We have got recent experience (England won a friendly 3-1 at Celtic Park last November) of what the atmosphere will be like." Hodgson told BBC Sport.
"The games will excite the public, get people in the mass media excited too, it is a good draw all round – I think Scotland will be happy with it and we are happy with it."
Hodgson was also relieved to avoid European heavyweights France and Italy when the draw was made.
"I don’t want to suggest Italy are stronger than Scotland, but we have played a lot of games against Italy recently and I thought that group [Italy's group] with the rest of the teams in it looked more tricky than the group we have found ourselves in." he added.
"We know Slovenia and Malta are very keen on English football, while Slovakia from the second pot, although they have had a good spell, maybe do not have the allure of France and Italy, who may cause us more problems."
Hodgson's contract is due to expire after Euro 2016 in France next year - which England are well on course to qualify for - but the 67-year-old would be eager to stay on in the role.
The former Liverpool boss said: "It is a great honour to be England manager - I shall be delighted to retain that position all the time people want me too, but it won’t occupy my thoughts at this point in time,
"I'm pleased to come away with a good group and if England want me to lead the team I will be delighted to do so.
"If we can come through Euro 2016 without too many tears being shed I believe we have a good chance of qualifying for 2018."news_articleSat, 25 Jul 2015 19:10:06 +0000Anonymous423519 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comWorld Cup 2018: The qualifying draw in fullWorld champions Germany were among the nations drawn in the qualifying draw for the 2018 competition in Russia.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/world-cup-2018-qualifying-draw-full
Nations from the remaining five confederations learned their route to Russia 2018 on Saturday as the World Cup qualifying draw was completed in St Petersburg.
With qualifying in Asia already underway, world champions Germany were among the nations drawn during the ceremony.
World Cup 2018 qualifying draw in full:
UEFA (Final group stage)
Group A: Netherlands, France, Sweden, Bulgaria, Belarus, Luxembourg
Group B: Portugal, Switzerland, Hungary, Faroe Islands, Latvia, Andorra
Group C: Germany, Czech Republic, Northern Ireland, Norway, Azerbaijan, San Marino
Group D: Wales, Austria, Serbia, Republic of Ireland, Moldova, Georgia
Group E: Romania, Denmark, Poland, Montenegro, Armenia, Kazakhstan
Group F: England, Slovakia, Scotland, Slovenia, Lithuania, Malta
Group G: Spain, Italy, Albania, Israel, Macedonia, Liechtenstein
Group H: Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Greece, Estonia, Cyprus
Group I: Croatia, Iceland, Ukraine, Turkey, Finland
CONMEBOL (Final group stage)
Colombia, Chile, Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela, Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay.
The 10 CONMEBOL nations were drawn to determine the order of fixtures in South America's qualifying section. All sides face each other in a round-robin format.
CONCACAF (Fourth of five stages)
A: Honduras, Mexico, Curacao/El Salvador, Canada/Belize
B: Panama, Costa Rica, Granada/Haiti, Jamaica/Nicaragua
C: Trinidad and Tobago, USA, St Vincent and the Grenadines/Aruba, Antigua and Barbuda/Guatemala
OFC (Second of four stages)
Group A: Tahiti, New Caledonia, [Winner of round one from American Samoa, Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga], Papua New Guinea,
Group B: New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Vanuatu
CAF (Second of three stages)
Somalia or Niger vs Cameroon, South Sudan or Mauritania vs Tunisia, Gambia or Namibia vs Guinea, Sao Tome e Principe or Ethiopia vs Congo, Chad or Sierra Leone vs Egypt, Comoros or Lesotho vs Ghana, Djibouti or Swaziland vs Nigeria, Eritrea or Botswana vs Mali, Seychelles or Burundi vs Congo DR, Liberia or Guinea-Bissau vs Ivory Coast, Central African Republic or Madagascar vs Senegal, Mauritius or Kenya vs Cape Verde Islands, Tanzania or Malawi vs Algeria, Sudan vs Zambia, Libya vs Rwanda, Morocco vs Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique vs Gabon, Benin vs Burkina Faso, Togo vs Uganda, Angola vs South Africa
Intercontinental play-offs
CONCACAF v AFC
OFC v CONMEBOLnews_articleSat, 25 Jul 2015 17:27:59 +0000Anonymous423472 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comBREAKING NEWS: Germany to face Czechs, Northern Ireland in World Cup qualifyingWorld Cup holders Germany will face the likes of Czech Republic, Northern Ireland and Norway in qualifying for the 2018 tournament.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/breaking-news-germany-face-czechs-northern-ireland-world-cup-qualifying
Reigning champions Germany will come up against Czech Republic, Northern Ireland, Norway, Azerbaijan and San Marino in qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, after the preliminary draw took place in St Petersburg on Saturday.
The UEFA nations were the last to discover their fate in a draw that also grouped Spain with Italy.
France and the Netherlands will do battle in Group A, while England and Scotland are together in Group F.news_articleSat, 25 Jul 2015 16:59:57 +0000Anonymous423447 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comPowar: Racist indiscretions should result in World Cup bansAnti-racism campaigner Piara Powar said FIFA must back their new monitoring system with heavy sanctions when required.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/powar-racist-indiscretions-should-result-world-cup-bans
Piara Powar said FIFA have to come through on the tougher penalties on racism they have flagged, which could see nations punished with exclusion from World Cup qualifiers.
Powar, executive director of Football Against Racism in Europe, said the launching of FIFA's Anti-Discrimination Monitoring System in London on Tuesday should result in harsher penalties for football associations that fail to stamp out racist fans.
"We face the prospect of teams that are playing in the World Cup qualifier that are accused and found guilty of racism or other forms of discrimination at those matches, will then find themselves excluded from the competition within three matches - because the regulations allow for that," Powar said at the system's launch in London.
"Our observers will collect evidence that supports a prosecution.
"And in the end that's the sort of scenario I think that we have to face up to.
"There will be some difficult decisions that need to be taken by FIFA.
"There will be some difficult decisions that countries will have to accept, the debate that goes with that, the educational process that then follows that."
Three years out from the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Powar said the controversial bid winner would have to continue to work on education to minimize the possibility of racists incidents at the showpiece.
"I think the issue we have in Russia is that the domestic leagues have a big issue and until the Russian authorities, the Sports Ministry, the Interior Ministry, the Russian FA, have a clear plan on how to deal with those problems and begin to take on the educational work and then the security piece as well, that those stories will continue," Powar said.
"In terms of the World Cup, I think there are two factors - one is that we always know that when there is a big major tournament, the population comes together.
"They know they are in the public eye, they know the world is looking at them and so they generally rise to the occasion.
"Now in Russia it's a vast land mass and there will be stadiums in remote places where we might find incidents of racism, of the kind we would never have seen in Brazil [at the 2014 World Cup], of the kind that we didn't see in Ukraine and Poland [at Euro 2012].
"But there is always that danger I think and that's part of the danger of going somewhere new, part of the danger with placing the spotlight on a country.
"I think all we can do is try and work with FIFA, try to work with the Russian authorities, to try and make sure those risks are minimized."news_articleWed, 13 May 2015 05:40:49 +0000Anonymous388112 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comVan der Vaart withdraws from Netherlands squadRafael van der Vaart has withdrawn from the Netherlands squad after suffering a thigh injury in training.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/van-der-vaart-withdraws-netherlands-squad
The Hamburg playmaker left the Netherlands camp on Tuesday after tearing the muscle, and he will miss his nations 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Estonia and Andorra as a result.
The Dutch Football Federation confirmed on Wednesday that Van der Vaart, 30, had withdrawn from the squad, and will be replaced by PSV youngster Adam Maher.
Georginio Wijnaldum also withdrew from the Netherlands squad on Monday, after suffering an ankle injury. Galatasaray star Wesley Sneijder replaced him, returning to the squad for the first time since being stripped of the international captaincy.
The Netherlands comfortably lead Group D and are in pole position to qualify for the FIFA World Cup after winning their first six matches.
Louis van Gaals side can clinch their qualification for next years tournament in Brazil if they win in both Estonia and Andorra.
news_articleWed, 04 Sep 2013 09:02:27 +0000Anonymous52708 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comSneijder returns to Netherlands squadWesley Sneijder has made his return to the Netherlands squad in place of injured PSV midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/sneijder-returns-netherlands-squad
Wijnaldum has withdrawn from the squad to face Estonia and Andorra in FIFA World Cup qualifiers due to an ankle complaint.
And Sneijder has stepped in, marking his first appearance in Louis van Gaal's squad since being dropped and stripped of the international captaincy in June.
Van Gaal also overlooked Sneijder for his squad to face Portugal in August, claiming the Galatasaray playmaker was lacking fitness.
The 29-year-old has made 93 appearances for his country, scoring 25 goals.
He played a pivotal role in taking the Netherlands to the FIFA World Cup final in 2010, with five goals in seven games, although he was unable to help his side to a win in the final, where they lost ot Spain.
Sneijder has played in three league games for Gala this season, finding the net once.
news_articleMon, 02 Sep 2013 21:20:47 +0000Anonymous51909 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comBayern pair out of Germany squadBayern Munich duo Mario Gotze and Bastian Schweinsteiger will not play in Germany's upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers due to injuries.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/bayern-pair-out-germany-squad
The news comes as a big blow to the national team, though they comfortably top Group C, with midfielder Gotze sustaining a painful blow to the ankle in his sides UEFA Super Cup win against Chelsea on Friday.
The 21-year-old was brought down by Ramires in the latter stages of normal time, a challenge that earned the Brazilian a second yellow card and now faces a spell on the sidelines after tweeting pictures of himself wearing a plaster cast on Sunday.
For Schweinsteiger, there were hopes that he would return after being included in the squad for the international fixtures, but an ankle sprain sustained against Freiburg on Tuesday has not yet fully healed.
Their omissions marks more in a string for Germany after Ilkay Gundogan and Lukas Podolski both also had to withdraw and Joachim Low may look to bring in reinforcements.
The Germans will aim to secure their World Cup spot when they take on Austria on September 6 and the Faroe Islands just four days later.
news_articleSun, 01 Sep 2013 12:01:48 +0000Anonymous51043 at http://www.fourfourtwo.com